Western Oregon Univ. Goes Green

 

More than two-thirds of the forest area in the surrounding environment will be left intact but with improved drainage, enhanced landscaping, new pathways and hardscape and improved areas for university gatherings.
Photo Credit: Mahlum

Western Oregon University in Monmouth plans to target LEED platinum certification for its new ?EUR??,,????'??live/learn?EUR??,,????'?? residence hall. If it were to achieve platinum status, it would become the first student residence hall on the West Coast to do so. Site work on the 300-bed residential facility will begin in July, with construction scheduled for completion in August 2010. Construction is budgeted to cost $14 million. The design calls for reducing energy consumption by 58 percent. It features photovoltaic panels for heating water, rainwater for flushing toilets and measures to reduce potable water usage by 50 percent. Residents will also receive environmental education on how to use the 80,000-square-foot building. In addition to aiming for LEED platinum certification, the design goal is to meet the objectives of Architecture 2030 by reducing carbon emissions by 60 percent, according to Kurt Haapala, project manager for Mahlum Architects. The 2030 Challenge tasks the architectural and building community with designing and building structures that eliminate greenhouse gases caused by the use of fossil fuels by the year 2030. Source: Sam Bennett, Daily Journal of Commerce, djcoregon.com